Automatic take-up device



Qct. 6, 1942. v S KRQLL ETAL 2,297,963

' AUTOMATIC TAKE-UPDEVIGE Filed Feb. 26. 1942 I NV ENTORS A *f t 1w! 7245/2 4free/vs Patented Oct'. 6, 1942 oirso T @FENCE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in crib structures and more particularly to an automatic take-up device for such structures and has as its principal object the provision of an adjustable spring support which will be simple in construction, economical in manufacture and highly efficient in use.

Another object of this invention is the provision in infants cribs of an adjustable spring support which will automatically tauten when the span of support is shortened.

A further object of our invention is the provision of a spring suspending device Which will have a relative self-adjusting character dependent upon the position to which the spring is desired to be disposed.

Other novel aspects and advantages inherent in our invention reside in certain details of construction made apparent in the speciiication in view of the drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a crib showing the spring frame tilted;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail through one of the four supporting brackets;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portions of such supporting means at one end of the crib;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower portion of one supporting bracket;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one crib post as seen in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the crib post seen in Fig. 4 and is arranged complementary to Fig. 5.

The invention is particularly adapted for use on a crib structure such as is indicated at I which includes a head end I I and a foot end I2,

v in.

each of which comprises a pair of spaced posts I3 joined by a panel I4. The sides S of the crib I0 are of the drop-side type and comprise a top and bottom rail I and I6, respectively, spaced from each other by vertical slats Il.

The ends of the rails I 4-I5 have vertically aligned holes formed therethrough. The sides S are arranged on guide rods I8 for vertical slidable movement and these guide rods arc attached by suitable means at both top and bottom to the adjacent post I3. The drop-side S has a catch means I9 which may be any one of the numerous devices known in the art whereby the sides S may be latched in raised or lowered position. Briefly, this catch means comprises a pair of coaxially aligned rods 2i) arranged in a groove formed in the lowermost rail I6 and being urged by spring means (not shown) toward the abutting guide 55 rod I8. The ends of the rods are adapted to engage a notch formation 2I on the guide rod I8, there being two of such notches 2I on each of the rods I8 at the extreme points of adjustment for the sides. A hand-controlled means 22 is employed to draw the rods 2IJ in a direction away from their respective guide rods I8 so that the sides S are free to slide vertically thereon.

A spring frame 23 is adapted to be arranged in various positions with respect to the .horizontal by the spring supporting means embodying our invention. This means includes a bracket 24 arranged at the four corner posts I3 and having a body portion 25 arranged vertically and in parallelism with respect to the post I3. The bracket 24 is bent at right angle at each end and then bent in an opposite direction at 90 to provide a mounting foot 26 having a hole 21 formed there- The bracket is fastened to the post I3 by screws 28 or the like extending through the holes 2l and anchored in the post I3. A rubber button R having a flanged head and a shank of reduced size is inserted into a hole cut in the body 25 adjacent both upper and lower ends. As seen in Fig. 2, these rubber buttons R engage the adjacent guide rod I8 at two points and function to stabilize the rod I8 and to prevent chatter and rattling of the rod I8 against the body 25 of the bracket 24.

The body portion 25 of the bracket has a plurality of hanger lugs 29 struck therefrom inwardly in a direction toward the posts I3. There is also struck from the bracket 24 a lowermost lug Si) which is stamped out of the lowermost spacer portion 3l of the bracket between the two opposite bends thereof. This lowermost lug 30 cooperates with the adjacent face j of the post I 3 to provide a stirrup for spring hanger means now to be explained.

Hanger means 32 is provided at each of the four corners of the crib lil. These hanger means 32 comprise a solid bar of metal with end portions bent relative to the mid-section of the bar to provide laterally extending arms offset from each other by such mid-section. One lateral extension 33 is pressed into a hole drilled into the side rail of the frame 23 and at a point spaced from the end thereof. The opposite end 34 of the hanger 32 is Swingable in an arc relative to the mounting of the portion 33 and has its extremity provided with a flnial 35 in the form of a rubber handle. As shown in the drawing the ends 34 are adapted to extend into the space provided between the body 25 of th-e bracket 24 and the face f of the post I3 for engagement with and seating in the stirrup formations provided by the lugs 29 and 30, as the case may be. The hangers 32 may be hung in different paired stirrups, as exemplified, to arrange the spring frame 23 in various tilted positions when desired. To elucidate, suppose it is desired to lower the left end of the frame 23 to the next set of lugs 29. A person standing behind the head end ll of the crib grasps the handles 35, one in each hand (see Fig. 3) and lifts them up out of the stirrup formations, swings the hangers 32 b-eyond the lugs 29 and in its descent swings the hangers 32 over to dispose the ends 3d thereof into engagement with the next lowest stirrup formation.

So far the spring frame 23 has been described as hanging in tilted condition. However, it is obvious that the frame 23 may be supported in a horizontal plane on these upper lugs 2Q. Usually the reason for Wanting the frame raised in a horizontal condition is so that the nurse or mother need not bend down so far to reach the occupant of the crib. Such raised horizontal disposition of the frame is required only in the earliest infancy when the child is helpless and cannot move about from one place to another within the crib. Upon the child attaining the standing age, it is desirable to have the frame 23 in its lowermost position so as to get the benefit of the full height of the drop-sides S to prevent the child from falling out of the crib. At such age the child begins to jump and stamp about and hence the spring frame and cribstead will be jarred and wiggled. Were the hangers 32 suspended at an angle to the vertical, the whole frame 23 would be swingable within the cribstead, which would be objectionable when the child moves about.

The present structure provides a means for overcoming the swingability of the frame 23. This means is found in the relationship of the lowermost lugs 3Q and the otherwise pendently disposed hangers 32. It will be noted in Fig. l that when the frame 23 is tilted, the distance between hanger stirrups is far enough to dispose the hangers 32 at an acute angle with respect to the frame but that when such frame is disposed in a horizontal plane upon the stirrups formed by the lugs 23, the angle is equal with respect to vertical and horizontal and the frame practically pendently supported, rendering the r frame swingable. The lowermost lugs 33 are spaced farther away from the frame 23 and coact with the face f of the adjacent post I3 to form a stirrup for the hanger rods 32. The hangers 32 must therefore be exten-ded toward the head and foot respectively of the crib in order to span the points of suspension. By reason of such eX- tension the angle of the hanger 32 with respect to the horizontal becomes more acute and the frame is therefore substantially and rigidly suppprted in horizontal position. With the frame in such condition, it is not likely to move relative to the stead and hence is not swingable with respect thereto.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that `we have provided an adjustable spring suspension which is so constructed as to automatically take up any slack between the hanger and frame so as to render the same rigid on the support when the frame is disposed in the conventional horizontal position with respect to the cribstead.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In an automatic take-up for crib spring supporting means at the four corner posts of the crib and arranged to suspend a spring frame in said crib at various positions of adjustment with respect to the horizontal, a hanger lever mounted for pivotal movement at the four corners of the spring frame, a lateral extension on said lever and providing a hand hold, a supporting bracket arranged on each of the four corner posts, said bracket including a body portion bent near its ends to provide spacers for positioning the body portion away from the inner face of the corner posts, said lateral extensions disposed in the space provided by said post and body portion and adapted to provide a seat for said lateral extension, and a lug struck up from the lowermost spacer and coacting with the inner face of said corner ost to provide a stirrup adapted to receive said lateral extension and adapted when the latter is disposed therein to adjust said hanger lever in a horizontal plane to eliminate swinging action thereof.

2. In an infants crib having interchangeable spring frame supporting means including cranklike lever means extending from the spring frame for engagement with supporting brackets on each of the four corner posts of the crib, the provision of a supporting bracket having a vertically disposed body portion with a plurality of stirrup formations therein, said body portion being spaced from said corner post by bending the body portion near its ends to provide a horizontal spacer portion, means attaching the latter to said corner post, and a lug formation in each of the lowermost one of said spacer portions and A adapted to coact with said corner post to provide stirrup means adjacent the post and adapted when engaged by said crank-like lever to extend the latter in a substantially horizontal plane whereby to rigidly support the spring frame within the crib.

3. In an automatic take-up device for interchangeable spring frame supporting means for infants cribs including hanger means on the spring frame and a supporting bracket for the same on each corner post of the crib with stirrup means formed on each bracket and adapted to provide a seat for said hanger means at various points with respect to the vertical, the provision of means on said supporting bracket adapted to coact with said corner post in providing a seat for said hanger means to dispose the latter in substantial horizontal alignment with said spring frame whereby to render the hanger means and spring frame unswingable.

4. In an automatic take-up device for interchangeable spring frame supporting means for infants cribs including hanger means on the spring frame and a supporting bracket on each corner post of the crib providing stirrups at various points with respect to the vertical, the provision of means on said supporting bracket adapted to provide a seat for said hanger means and to align the latter with said spring frame.

SAMUEL KROLL. NATHAN J. KROLL, 

